Ensilage harvester



Dec. 13, 1949 LJP. MILLARD 2,491,196

ENS ILAGE HARVESTER Filed Jan. 31, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 13, 1949 I L. P. MILLARD 2,491,196

ENS ILAGE HABVESTER Filed Jan. 51, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec.13, 1949 1.. P. MILLARD 2,491,196

ENSILAGE HARVESTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 31, 1944 1949 1.. P. MILLARD ENSILAGE HARVESTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 31, 1944 ing finger-like lugs 39 surround each sprocket 28 and 28' and, as shown in Figure 1, extend downwardly to the points l8 and are wrapped around sprockets 3| journaled in each point I8. The shaft 21' has mounted thereon sprockets 32 and 33 positioned relatively close to the bottom of the shaft and closely above a bottom plate 34 of the harvester body |8. Each sprocket 32 and 33 carries a. chain 35 and 36, respectively, which proceed forwardly and are mounted around suitably journaled sprockets (not shown). Similiar to the chains 29 and 29, the chains 35 and 36 carry finger-like lugs 37. The shaft 21 does not have sprockets or chains corresponding to the sprockets 32 and 33 and chains 35 and 36.

A further bevel gear 38 meshes with the bevel gear and receives rotation therefrom. The bevel gear 38 is attached to a short shaft 39 which terminates in a universal joint 49, the other side of which is adapted to drive a crank 4| by means of a shaft 42 and a second universal Joint 43. The crank 4| drives a pitman 44 which causes reciprocation of a sickle bar 45. This sickle bar or primary cutter is adapted to cut the standing corn stalks relatively close to the ground so that the severed stalks may then be carried upwardly and rearwardly in the space I9 by means of the finger-like lugs 38 and 31. The stalks are maintained closely adjacent the chain 29 by means of a spring member 46 which is attached at its forward end to the harvester body 16 which carries the chain 29. The rearward end of the spring member 46 normally lies close to the chain 29 but is not attached thereto.

The throat portion 41 of the harvester body l6 contains forwardly and downwardly extending feed rolls 48 and 49. Each of these rolls 48 and 49 has forwardly tapering points 59 and 5|, respectively. The point 50, as best shown in Figure 3, is considerably longer than the point 5| to compensate for the lack of gathering chains such as and 36-which are beneath the chain 29. It has been cuistomary to employ a kicker or packer arm on the lower end of the shaft 21 in the space here occupied by the long point 59.

It will be evident from Figures 1 and 2 that the feed rolls 48 and 49 are in a plane closely adjacent the lower gathering chains 35 and 3B and form a substantially rearward continuation thereof. As best shown in Figure 3, the rolls 48 and 49 are equipped with central supporting shafts 52 and 53, respectively. These shafts 52 and 53 are journaled in bearings 54 and 55 at their forward ends and at 56 and 51 at their rearward ends. The bearing 54 is resiliently mounted within a bracket member 58 by means of a spring 59. It is evident, therefore, that the forward end of the roll 48 may yield laterally when the quantity of material between the rolls 48 and 49 so requires. The rearward bearing 56 for the roll 48 is also yieldable laterally within a slot 69 of an end wall 5|. The bearings 55 and 51 are mounted fixedly in the body of the ensilage harvester. A spring 62 interconnects the bearing members 56 and 51, and inasmuch as the bearingof the rolls and, in addition, impart to the stalks a downward motion.

Heretofore, ensilage harvesters have been made with chopping devices at the rear thereof in a position approximately similar to a rotary chopper 61, as best shown in Figures 1 and 2. However, the cutting mechanisms, as heretofore employed, were placed at right angles to the feeding devices and generally employed a stationary knife or cutting edge parallel to the rear wall. Regardless of how wide the rotary cutter was in these old machines, stalks would always be at one small area of the cutter and congestion would occur. It is, therefore, one of the principal purposes of this ensilage harvester to eliminate such congestion and to utilize the entire width of the rotary cutter. The rotary cutter 87 in the present device is mounted on a shaft 68 which is parallel to the feed rolls 48 and 49. As best shown in Figure 5, a stationary cutter 69 is fixedly positioned within the body l6 of the machine so that it lies parallel to the rolls 48 and 49 and directly beneath them.

It is quite obvious that com stalks being simultaneously fed rearwardly and downwardly by the to the bottom of the body portion |B beneath and parallel with the cutter 61, the complete wagon elevator may be one continuous tube containing the auger conveyor H. It will be noted that heretofore additional conveyers have necessarily been employed to feed material from the chopping mechanism to the elevator.

The central shafts 52 and 53 of the rolls 48 and 49, respectively, extend rearwardly beyond their bearings 56 and 57 and have mounted'thereon sprockets Ti and 78, respectively. Sprocket ll is arcuately movable about a stub shaft 87 thus an intermediate wall 8| and thence through the 7 rear wall GI and is journaled within bearings 82 and 83. On the rear end of the shaft 89 is mounted a sprocket 84 whichis best shown in Figures 2 and 5. The shaft 68 of the rotary 'cutter 61 projects rearwardly and supports a sprocket 85. A sprocket 86 is mounted on the stub shaft 8! which is journaled within a bearing 88. A second sprocket 89 is also mounted on the stub shaft 8'! and lies in a plane with the sprocket ll on the feed roll shaft 52.' An idler sprocket 98 is journaled on a fixed shaft 9| A continuous chain 92 is wrapped about the sprockets 84, 85, 86, and 90 and engages the sprocket 18, thereby imparting rotation from the sprocket 84 driven from the power take-off shaft 29 of the tractor to each of these other sprockets. The feed rolls 48 and 49 rotate inwardly toward each other and hence are driven in opposite directions. This is accomplished by an auxiliary chain 98 extending from the sprocket 89 to the sprocket 11. It is apparent that the chains 92 and 93 cause rotation of the feed rolls 48 and 49 as well as the rotary cutter 61.

The auger 1| has a central shaft 96 which is journaled in a bearing 95 and has a bevel gear 96 at the end thereof. The elevator 10 is pivoted about a shaft 91, and thereby a change in height of the elevator is made possible. A sprocket 98 is keyed to the outer end of shaft 24 as shown in Figure 6. Another sprocket 99 is afiixed to the shaft 91 which forms a hinge for the elevator 16. A chain I joins the sprockets 98 and 99. The shaft 91 is journaled in bearing brackets I65 which are fastened to the rear wall 6| of the ensilage harvester. Thus the forward end of the elevator housing 10 projects under the cutter 61 forwardly of pivot shaft 91. The front wall 10' of housing 10 has a wiping overlapped relation with the Wall 8I as shown in Figure 2 to keep said front end closed when raising or lowering the elevator housing 10. Another sprocket 602 is keyed to the outer end of the shaft 91, and by means of a chain I03 drives the sprocket I94 on a shaft I upon which is mounted a bevel gear I06 adapted to mesh with the bevel gear 96 of the auger II. The elevator is shown hinged at I01 on the shaft 91.

It is believed that herein is provided a new and novel ensilage harvester capable of severing corn standing in a field and adapted to carry the cut stalks in an upright position rearwardly to a pair of feed rolls. These feed rolls perform a dual function in that they cause the corn stalks to move rearwardly and downwardly simultaneously into a rotary cutter placed parallel to the feed rolls. An elevator is positioned directly beneath the rotary cutter and substantially parallel thereto. The result is a continuous and progressive straight line movement of the corn stalk through the machine from the time it is severed from the plant to the time it reaches a trailing wagon in short cut lengths.

The intention is to limit the invention only within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a harvester, stalk gathering points, a primary cutter at the forward end of said gathering points for severing standing stalks, gathering chains movably carried in said gathering points and extending upwardly and rearwardly from a position adjacent said primary cutter for moving said stalks upwardly and rearwardly in erect position, a feed throat located rearwardly of said gathering points to' receive the stalks, stalk chopping means at the bottom of said throat, and in combination therewith cooperative feed rolls in said throat adapted to receive the stalks from said gathering chains, and having cylindrical body portions and tapered forward ends with spiral flighting extending the length of the rolls, and annularly spaced longi tudinal flutes extending continuously throughout the length of the cylindrical body portions of the rolls.

2. In a harvester having a U-shaped body with the bight portion at the rear forming a throat, a primary cutter positioned across the forward ends of the U body and adapted to sever standing stalks, gathering chains arranged and constructed on one side of said U body and having finger lugs extending into the space between the forward ends of the U body, and in combination therewith a pair of cooperative feed rolls disposed longitudinally in the throat of said body, said rolls comprising cylindrical body portions and conically reduced forward ends, one of said rolls terminating closely adjacent the discharge ends of the gathering chains, and the other of said rolls having its conical forward end substantially overlapping said gathering chains.

LEE P. MILLARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 309,462 Hopper Dec. 16, 1884 914,465 Stone Mar. 9, 1909 1,241,325 Angus Sept. 25, 1917 1,528,635 Ronning et a1. Mar. 3, 1925 1,665,401 Blecke Apr. 10, 1928 1,688,206 Rosholt Oct. 16, 1928 1,722,717 Trottman Jul 30, 1929 2,229,628 Anderson Jan. 28, 1941 2,252,159 Blank Aug. 12, 1941 2,333,901 Swenson Nov. 9, 1948 

